


A bullet crossed the bridge

by missMien



Category: Borderlands
Genre: Angst, Hurt Rhys, Injury, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-28
Updated: 2016-08-17
Packaged: 2018-07-18 19:28:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7327348
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/missMien/pseuds/missMien
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was weird how life could change so fast. The one moment you could be happily chatting away with your friends. And the other you would be alone, bleeding out on the cold hard ground. Rhys doesn’t really remember how his evening changed from having the best time with his friends to accidently being shot. But he does remember the look on his attacker's face. Jack's face.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone.  
> I'm going to apologize in advance. I may never post a second chapter (Although I really like writing this so it's highly possible that I will post more chapters. I even started writing chapter 2 haha) I tend to start stories and never finish them. Normally I never post them because of that reason but I really like writing for this fandom. It's been a few years since I've written anything for everyone to see so I apologize if anything seems weird. (Also I don't like to proof read so there may be some spelling errors. I'll try my best to not make any mistakes.)
> 
> Also, I never thought I would be writing something for this pairing. I was a bit horrified when I saw the fanfics for this pairing. But I read a couple good ones and here I am.

It was weird how life could change so fast. The one moment you could be happily chatting away with your friends. And the other you would be alone, bleeding out on the cold hard ground. Rhys doesn’t really remember how his evening changed from having the best time with his friends to accidentally being shot. He does remember the look on his attacker’s face. Jack’s face. His face somehow blown with shock. He never expected Rhys to walk in front of him exactly at the time when he tried to off an annoying employee. But the damage was done. It was irreversible. Everything was still somehow going in slow motion. Jack could see the moment it pierced the young boy’s skin to the moment he slowly dropped on the floor, blood pooling around him. And suddenly everything sped up again. Jack shakily dropped the gun and made his way over to the boy. A normal gunshot would’ve been fine. Rhys could’ve survived that easily. But this one had shock damage. Jack could still see the shock waves ripple through the small frame. He sat down next to him and pulled the boy in his lap.

“No.. no no no.. C’mon cupcake. I know you aren’t dead. You can’t die. Not now. Not.. not by my hand. C’mon. Open your eyes, Rhysie. Open those precious eyes. Please, Rhysie. Please open them.” Jack begged but the boy lay lifeless in his arms. The man shut his eyes tightly when he concluded that this boy was dead. And god it was his fault. Handsome Jack never regretted killing someone. But this… This was accidental. He didn’t really know the boy but he saw him every day. (And he did a background check… A small background check. Not much. Really. Very small. He didn’t spend hours reading about him.) Jack often wished he would just cross the room and talk to the guy. But for obvious reasons he did not. Well obvious for him. You don’t make friends. That’s his rule. No friends, no being screwed over. And now he was staring at the only person in the whole wide universe that he was considering breaking his rule for. Sadly the universe decided for him. A soft groan pulled him out his thoughts. He opened his eyes and saw Rhys’s face contorted with pain.

“Hey.. Hey. Rhys. Can you open your eyes?” Jack asked hopeful.

The young boy squeezed his eyes tighter shut as he softly groaned in pain. He did however try to open his eyes. Although it took him quite some time he finally opened them even if it was just a small sliver open.

“Feels’like.. ‘ve been hit.. By a moonsh’t or sumth’n.. Wha’appened?” The boy’s words were slurred but Jack was relieved that although he was obviously in much pain, he seemed to be okay. Well okay for a guy who was shot.

“I kinda shot you, pumpkin. But don’t worry. The medic team is on its way. I’ve heard they’re the best. The few people who faced my wrath and survived made a full recovery thanks to them.”

“Wrath? Wait. Who are you?” Rhys eyes widened and he scrambled out of the comfortable lap he was bleeding on. His vision was very fuzzy and he couldn’t seem to focus his thoughts. Everything was so slow, wobbly and distorted. Apparently he didn’t crawl far because the owner of the voice just put his arm around his waist to keep him in place.

“Stay still. You don’t want to move too much with a bullet chilling out in your left shoulder.” The voice commanded in a firm voice. Rhys only pathetically whined as he weakly pushed against the arm. The arm only responded with tightening the grip. A low hiss that spilled from the boy’s lips did however soften the harsh grip. 

"Who ‘re youuu?” Rhys slurred. His head was so dizzy from the shock and the blood loss. His eyes had trouble concentrating on anything. Any small movement made his head spin and he groaned as he shut them tightly. He was vaguely aware that he was no longer pushing against the arms that held him in place. But that fact was drowned out by the pain he was currently experiencing. He has had worse. But that didn’t mean that this whole ordeal was pleasant for him.

“Sssh.. It’s gonna be okay.” The voice shushed. It was only now that he realized that he was still meekly whining. He felt a sob escape his throat. Somehow it surprised him that he was crying. Maybe it was because the voice was so soothing that it felt like he was allowed to. That this was a situation where you cry. He tried focussing on the soothing voice instead of the pain rippling through his body. His head lulled to the side and he felt himself shift. The owner of the voice was probably readjusting him since he turned into dead weight. Everything hurt. He wanted to sleep. Just so that he could escape the pain.

“Hurts…” Rhys whined.

“I know, pumpkin. I know it hurts. The bullet had elemental shock damage. You’re lucky this was a prototype. It seemed as if the shock wasn’t strong enough to kill you.” The voice explained. Even though what he was saying, Rhys felt completely safe in the stranger’s arms. The voice was so slick and smooth as honey. So deep. So… comforting. He felt his face slacken a bit even though everything still hurt. Maybe.. Maybe if he took a nap he would be fine. A rough hand on his jaw yanked his head to the side. He opened his eyes in surprise, he still wasn’t able to get a clear view on the man. But he swore it looked like Handsome Jack. But that wouldn’t make any sense. Why would the man hold him and comfort him until the paramedics came? That didn’t sound like the CEO Rhys had heard of. Maybe it was the blood loss. Yeah… Probably. He was just imagining things. “Don’t you dare fall asleep on me.” The voice commanded. It sounded like Jack. At least now that he thought it was him. But the voice did mention shooting him and he remembers Jack shooting him. Jack seems like the guy to shoot people, but he wouldn’t hold them after he blasted a hole in them.

“J-Jack?” His voice croaked. He had to make sure. He was so confused. Maybe the voice would correct him and then he would know. The voice only softly hummed at the name. That wasn’t enough to rid Rhys of the confusion. What if the hum was just an acknowledgement that he said something instead of falling asleep. Rhys shakily brought his organic hand up to touch the face in front of him in hopes of finally getting a clear view on the man. His hand was intercepted midway and engulfed in a larger hand.

“Now, now Rhysie. I don’t like people touching my face. Besides you shouldn’t be moving that arm.” The voice said. Rhys nodded against the owner’s chest. He wanted to try and touch it again but his robotic hand couldn’t really feel anything. He opened his mouth to ask something but was interrupted by the sound of doors opening. Suddenly there were various hands on him. Checking him over. So many hands… Pulling. Pushing. Prodding… This had happened before.. Before when.. No.. No don’t think about that. That did _not_ happen. It did not happen. He felt as if he couldn’t breathe suddenly. He was choking on the cold bitter air. His chest started to burn as panic flooded his systems.

“Okay, hands off. Nobody touches him unless they want a freaking bullet in their skull.” The voice was stern and loud. Rhys would’ve flinched but his main focus right now was trying to get some air into his aching lungs. All the unwanted hands disappeared in less than heartbeat. Only one remained on his cheek. He swatted at the hand. A gurgling sob escaped his lips when he couldn’t remove it.

“Rhys. Listen to me. You’re fine. You’re gonna be fine. But these people need to touch you in order to help you. I know that it can be weird to be touched without consent. But they won’t hurt you. I promise. Only one person at a time is allowed to touch you now, okay? That’s the best I can do. Nod if you agree to let them help you.” Despite the stern tone the voice held, it sounded very soft and comforting. He weakly nodded as a few tears escaped his eyes. The hand on his cheek wiped some of them away. “They are going to sedate you. Don’t freak out. It will help with the pain.” Rhys knew that they weren’t going to hurt him but he couldn’t help but feel his chest constrict. Fear coursed through his veins, but the voice promised him it would be okay. So he pushed the fear down as he nodded again. He felt a sharp pinch and figured that that was the sedative. His thoughts clouded even more before eventually everything went dark.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Huzzah! Two chapters in one day! Who would've guessed? I know that it's probably smarter to upload this on another day but I don't really care. The first chapter was a bit short and this one is also short. So I'm uploading it today.

It wasn’t exactly a burning pain that greeted Rhys upon awakening but it was enough to make him groan in discomfort. He wanted to run his hand through his hair but there was something around his wrist that prevented him from moving. His eyes shot open and he looked at whatever was restraining him. He started yanking at the restraints hoping that that would eventually make them snap. A warm gentle hand placed itself over his upper arm. Rhys froze completely. He stared at the hand as if it would crawl up to his neck and snap it like a twig. He felt himself starting to shake. No. This can’t be happening. Not again. Where was he? Why him? Why him again?

“-alm down, Rhys. Those restraints are there to help you.” The voice said. It was the same voice from before. Rhys would’ve laughed if he wasn’t so terrified. Help him? _Help him?!_ Those things weren’t helping. They were to keep him there. To let them do whatever they wanted. He started yanking at the restraints again.

“Rhys. Hey. Calm down. Can you calm down for me? If you’re calm enough I’ll remove them.” The voice offered. Rhys’s head snapped up and he looked at the man. This time his vision was perfectly okay, but despite this he still couldn’t believe his eyes. Handsome Jack was staring at him. Was he here to finish the job? Oh god. He probably was. Rhys knew better than to disobey the CEO standing in front of him. He stopped his rash movements and almost stopped breathing. He was afraid that the slightest movement would upset the tall man.

“Rhys. For Fuck’s sake. Breathe.” Jack instructed. Rhys did as he was told and sucked in a deep breath. Jack moved closer to him and the young boy pushed himself against the mattress, trying to let it swallow him whole and make him disappear.

“I’m going to remove these restraints. Don’t hurt yourself, okay?” Jack leaned over him and did as he said. It took a few minutes of fiddling with the locks but the man managed to remove them. As soon as Rhys’s hands were free, he brought them up and pushed against the chest that was hovering over him. It was too close. He couldn’t breathe. He needed more room. More air. He needed to get out of here. The body pulled away and finally he felt as if he could take in his surroundings. A small white room. There were several monitors around the bed he was laying in. Was this a hospital? Rhys noticed the many wires connected to his body. Some of them seemed to be injecting him with something. He felt sick to his stomach. He wanted nothing more to get rid of them and so he did the only thing he thought possible. He tugged at the offensive wires and tore them out of his body. The pain accompanied with removing them was nothing compared to the sickness he felt if he would let them stay put. His hands were stopped when Jack placed his hands over them, firmly keeping them in place.

“Stop. I won’t hesitate and put you in those restraints again if you keep harming yourself.” The man was loud and stern. But Rhys couldn’t make himself care. Yes, he didn’t want to be restrained again, but there were still wires and tubes shoved under his skin. He needed them gone. He whined as hot tears poured down his cheeks, leaving wet trails. When did he start crying? He fought against the hold on him. Why couldn’t they just let him be? Didn’t they do enough? The hands that were holding him down were placed on his cheeks.

“Rhys. Look at me. Deep breaths okay, pumpkin?” Jack’s voice sounded unbelievably soft. Rhys obliged and stared at him. His vision was blurred by the tears but he could still see the gentle smile on the CEO’s face. He took a deep breath and shakily released it. The man in front of him was breathing with him and slowly he felt himself calm down. Deep breath in. Hold it. Breathe out. Breathe in. Hold it. Breathe out. The panic slowly ebbed away with each breath he took.

“That’s it, Rhysie. You’re doing good.” Jack cooed. Rhys felt drained when he finally calmed down. But the panic from earlier was enough to keep him alert instead of letting the voice lull him back to sleep. Suddenly he realized that he had closed his eyes at some point. He opened them and stared at the man whispering soothing things to him. Was he dreaming? Was he so drugged up that he imagined the CEO of the company caring for him? He knew that he had a slight obsession but to imagine him right here was a bit weird.

“J-Jack?” He grimaced at the sound of his own voice. It sounded rough and croaky. The burning sensation made him swallow a few times in hopes of getting rid of the sore feeling. He pushed himself up in a sitting position, ignoring the intense pain that shot through his shoulder. A cup of water was pushed against his lips and he parted them to let the clear liquid soothe his aching throat. The water did help slightly and he tried to speak again.

“What happened? Why.. Why are you here? Why am I here? Where is here?” Once Rhys opened his mouth multiple questions came pouring out. He meant to ask only why Jack was here with him but with every question he asked, he grew more and more confused. Jack shushed him and waited until he was calm enough to answer some of them.

“You weren’t paying attention to where you were going and you happened to walk in front of a bullet. My bullet, to be specific. You’re lucky to be alive, kiddo. The bullet had elemental shock damage. I told you before but I don’t know how much you remember of our previous ‘conversation’. As to why I’m here. I shot you. Didn’t mean to. And there was no one else to stay here with you… Okay I didn’t trust anyone to stay here with you.” Jack explained. Rhys heard everything but it still didn’t make any sense to him. He was shot by Jack because he accidentally walked in front of him while the man was shooting. Okay Rhys is sometimes not paying enough attention. That could make sense. The shock part would explain why his whole body was aching. But… But why would the CEO of Hyperion stay at his bedside?

“I… I don’t get it…” Rhys muttered. Jack’s eyebrows went a little higher.

“Do… Do you have brain damage? God, I swear. If that stupid medic team da-”

“No, no. Well at least I don’t think I do. But I don’t get why you are here.” Rhys wondered if Jack’s eyebrows could go higher. The man looked absolutely flabbergasted in front of him. Jack spluttered as he tried to find a simple explanation. The long silence made Rhys grow uneasy and he wished he would’ve kept his mouth shut.

“You.. Y-You don’t need to a-answer…” Rhys stuttered when he couldn’t take the silence any more. Jack hummed in response and looked away. Rhys turned his attention back on the wires when Jack stayed silent again. He tugged at the wires that were still lodged in his body. A hand stopped his movements yet again even though the younger man thought he was being very careful with his movements this time.

“You’re gonna hurt yourself, kiddo. They are there for a reason, Rhys. Just… Just let them be, okay?” Despite not wanting to let the wires stay embedded in his skin, the tone that Jack used was so… unfamiliar yet tender. Was that guilt? Worry? Rhys didn't know. He nodded and placed his hands in his lap, grimacing when a sharp pain shot through his shoulder at the movement. Jack pushed against his chest in order to get the young boy to lie down again. Rhys didn’t object, a firm hand on his back helped him lay down without putting too much pressure on his body. He didn’t really enjoy people touching him, but Jack hadn’t been anything but careful. His eyelids started to droop, suddenly overcome with drowsiness. The hand against his chest pulled away. Rhys watched the man turn away, his hand shot out to latch onto whatever he could grab. A sudden fear that the man would leave made him feel unbelievably anxious. He blamed the drugs for his rash action but he couldn’t really bring himself to care. Jack turned back and pulled a chair closer to the bed. The last thing Rhys saw before he fell asleep was a soft smile on the man’s face.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rhys wakes up again and finally figures out if this is Jack or not. Also he might be an idiot with a fever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiya!  
> Okay first I should apologise. I have been gone for quite some time but I was just extremely busy. I hadn't forgot about this story. After coming back from my trip, I had this student job thingy in a factory and the whole time there I kept fantasying about writing the next chapter. (Is there anyone else that does that?) But I'm back, baby! Ready to write some more stuff. (Also another apology because I haven't proofread this yet. This chapter may change a lil bit when I finally edit it. But here's the rough version.)

The next time Rhys woke up everything just hurt but it was bearable. His thoughts weren’t completely clouded anymore and he couldn’t see any wires connected to him. How long had he been out? He looked around, trying to find an indicator of what time it was, preferably a clock. He scowled when found nothing. There wasn’t even a window. Not that a window would help since they are in space but it would’ve been nice. Rhys pushed himself up with his robotic hand and almost dropped back when he saw Handsome Jack sitting next to him in a chair. Okay… So that did happen. The man’s face was tense despite appearing to be asleep. Rhys shakily reached out to him, wondering how the mask felt like. His wrist was immediately caught in a harsh grip, vaguely he remembered something very similar happening. He couldn’t quite remember what exactly happened, almost as if it was a vague déjà vu. Rhys couldn’t help but to let out a small yelp at the sudden interception. He was more surprised than hurt but the older man instantly let go when the sound erupted from Rhys’s throat.

“You’re still here?” Rhys opted for ignoring that he attempted to touch the man’s face. He hoped that he hadn’t pissed the man off but so far it looked like he was more annoyed than mad. Although from the stories he has heard, Jack being annoyed is enough to get you killed.

“Of course I am. You grabbed onto me and begged me to stay. I could hardly say no to such sweet pleas.” Jack teased. Rhys felt his cheeks heat up. That’s not how it went!

“I did not! … Or did I?” Damn he wasn’t too sure about it anymore. He knew that he had been pretty out of it. The memories from last time seemed to melt away if he tried to think about it. The harder he tried to remember, the more he forgot. It could be that he did that… But he wouldn’t right? His thoughts seemed to cloud together again and he groaned in frustration.

“Okay you didn’t use any words. But I’ve seen enough people beg to know that you, princess, were begging.” The man said. Rhys felt a shiver run down his spine. Was he talking about people begging for his attention… Or their lives?

“How long was I out? Last time I was awake there were a lot of wires. I think there were wires? I remember wires… … They’re gone now though… Were there wires?” Rhys voice ended in a soft whisper, the last part barely audible. His memories seemed to merge together. He remembered vaguely something about him noticing the wires, but he couldn’t figure out what had happened next.

“Do you mean last time you were sort of coherent and awake? You’ve been awake for a couple of times. But the fever made you a bit delirious. Would’ve been real funny if you weren’t such a danger to yourself. We removed any tubes and all that stuff after you started screaming.” Jack shrugged. Rhys absentmindedly rubbed his arm, he could still see where the wires had been.

“I mean I don’t really like those things. But normally I can stand them. If they were really helping me get better than they should’ve stayed where they were.” Rhys fiddled with the blanket in his lap. He knew that all this medical stuff wasn’t his thing, but to hear that he threw some sort of temper tantrum about it was embarrassing.

“Cupcake. I don’t think you realize how much you hated them in your delirious state. Every time you yelled I thought something was going to snap in your throat. But anyways. If you’re feeling good enough then we can leave in an hour or so. The doctors think you should make a full recovery if you take it slow. There’s not much besides resting that you can do. And you can easily do that at my home.” Jack said as he patted the boy’s back. Rhys nodded absentmindedly. That sounded like a better plan. Anything would be better than to stay in the sterile white room.

“W-Wait a minute! Your h-ho-home?!” Rhys spluttered as his eyes grew wide. What. The. Heck. Staying at his bedside because he shot him was one thing. But to bring Rhys back to Jack’s home… Was he still on heavy drugs? He must’ve misheard him. There is no way _the_ Handsome Jack would offer that. He was still delirious. That must be it.

“Yes, Rhys. My home. You sure you’re not brain damaged? It’s nothing to be ashamed of if you are. So don’t fret. The medic team on the other hand should be very, _very_ afraid.” The man growled.

“N-no… I’m just… I… Thank you for your offer, sir. But I will be fine in my apartment.” Rhys tried to decline as politely as he could. The boy immediately looked down at his lap. He expected a lot of things, Jack chuckling was not one of them. His head snapped back up and his narrowed at the laughing man.

“Who said that this was an offer? And please don’t give me that ‘ _sir’_ bullshit. You’ve called me by my name before. You’re going to stay with me until I deem you well enough to leave.” Jack scoffed. Rhys felt his cheeks heat up. What was he going to do? That bullet didn’t kill him but he was sure that Jack would finish the job. Although part of Rhys was very excited at the idea. He was still a fanboy of Jack. He always admired his boss. Vaughn used to tease him about it every day. Luckily his obsession had lessened and thus Vaughn stopped with all the obnoxious teasing. But fanboy or not, Rhys knew that the man in front of him was dangerous. Every time someone met Jack, they were just one wrong word away from a gruesome death. Rhys let out a defeated sigh as Jack left the room. How was he supposed to get out of this one? Declining was obviously not enough and he really didn’t feel brave enough (or well enough) to just run away without telling the man. That would earn him a bullet between his eyes pretty quick. Rhys jumped when he heard Jack walk back in. He looked up and saw the man pushing a wheelchair to his bed. This was so weird. Rhys unknowingly groaned as he gazed at the wheelchair. Everything Jack was doing just didn’t make any sense. Every story Rhys had heard made him question if this was the real Handsome Jack. Maybe it was his doppelganger.

“Yeah, I hate wheelchairs too, cupcake. But it’s obligatory.” Jack said with an amused smile. Rhys cocked his head to the side in confusion. Why did Jack think he hated wheelchairs? It wasn’t untrue but the information still made him shiver. Wheelchairs were just so awkward, especially if Handsome Jack would be the one pushing you. He turned his gaze back to his lap. He had to think of something really fast before Jack would demand him to get into the damn thing. He let out a _very manly_ shriek when he felt himself being lifted of the bed. WHAT THE FREAKING FUCK. Okay this had to be a dream. This cannot be real. This. Is. Too. Weird. He heard a deep chuckle emit from the man’s mouth as he was carefully placed into the wheelchair. Can life be more cruel? This was embarrassing and so confusing and so not okay. He shivered unintentionally at a lingering touch on his neck.

“Are you cold? I can place a blanket on you if you are.” Jack asked. He took the whine that left Rhys’s lips as a conformation and dug through the closet to find a snug and cosy blanket. Was this some kind of a sick prank? As Jack leaned forward to place the blanket on him, Rhys pushed himself further into the back of the wheelchair. Jack abruptly stopped and hovered over him. He looked as if he was contemplating to move back or forward. Rhys thought that this was now or never. He had to convince Jack to let him stay in his own apartment. He slowly opened his mouth to speak, taking a couple of deep breaths before finding the courage to make any coherent words.

“Are you really Jack?” Rhys asked before his eyes widened. He felt his face heat up and internally cursed himself for it. Why did he ask that? That’s not what he wanted to ask! He watched in fear as Jack seemed to snap out of his frozen state. The man leaned forward and tucked the younger boy in. He lingered for a second or two before straightening and looking him in the eye. Rhys felt uncomfortable under the intense gaze of the older man.

“Yes. I am.” Jack coldly said, his eyebrows raising up as to say ‘Why?’ He then felt a cold hand on his forehead. He wanted to push the hand away, even though the coldness felt surprisingly nice on his skin. Touching without prior notice was something that made him squirm in discomfort. But luckily the sane part of his brain knew the consequences of the action, so he ignored the anxious feeling in his stomach.

“The fever is probably not gone yet. You feel warmer than a few minutes ago…” Jack mumbled under his breath. Rhys slowly nodded in understanding. The man probably thought Rhys was delirious and therefore couldn’t figure out if he was Jack.  He felt his eyelids droop, completely focussing on the cold hand against his skin. Now that he thought about it, he felt a bit hot and clammy. A slight slapping sensation on his cheek made him jerk up in surprise, his heartrate stepped up a notch. He willed himself to calm down when he made eye contact with Jack. He shouldn’t do anything to anger the man.

“Stay with me, Rhys. When we get to the apartment you can sleep. But for now you have to stay awake.” Jack commanded. Now that he was given the task to stay awake, he found it surprisingly hard to do so. But he managed to keep his eyes open by focussing on Jack. The man turned around and started pushing the wheelchair out of the door. After a short stop at a info desk, they finally left the medical bay. Rhys looked at Jack in surprise when they arrived at a weird elevator. This one was the one nobody was supposed to use. It was forbidden to even call it down. Nobody really knew why and where it went. Was this elevator specifically made to go up to Jack’s home? Did Jack even have a home? Was his office the place he called home? Don’t be daft, Rhys. Jack’s office is accessible with a regular elevator. And Jack said something about his home being an apartment. Sudden waves of fear coursed through Rhys veins as they kept getting closer to the elevator. Rhys should warn the guy. The elevator was off limits for everyone. That’s what they said. Somewhere hidden deep in the sane, not fever affected, area of Rhys’s brain he knew that Jack shouldn’t worry about breaking any laws. Jack was the freaking law. But the countless threats that were made when they announced the new law made the boy squirm.

“Jack. No. We – We can’t go there.” Rhys said, his voice a bit breathless. His comment earned him an amused chuckle from Jack. Realising that the man had no intention of listening to him, Rhys firmly dug his heels into the ground. Maybe he should’ve thought this plan through before acting upon it. The sudden halt made Jack push the wheelchair over, sending the sick boy tumbling to the harsh unforgiving ground. His shoulder throbbed with such a severe intensity that he couldn’t help but cry out in agony. He grabbed his injured shoulder with his metal hand and curled up into a tight little ball.

“What the fuck, Rhys?!” Jack yelled. He sounded angry, furious. Rhys curled up even tighter at the words and waited for the inevitable to come. He closed his eyes tightly to prepare him for whatever Jack would do. A soft warm touch on his arm was the last thing he expected.

“I know that you probably can’t help it. But man. I am getting _sick and tired_ of your fever messing with your brain.” The older man gritted out. Jack’s voice sounded very annoyed. He probably was. Thanks to the shock of the fall, Rhys’s thoughts seemed a little clearer. He had to admit that the stunt he just pulled was very stupid. Rhys didn’t even know why he did it. Well he knew _why._ But the reason seemed so weird all of a sudden. He should’ve known that Jack was allowed to do these things. There was absolutely no reason to stop the man. A hand carefully removed his robotic hand from his shoulder. Rhys gasped in surprise as his shirt was roughly pulled up. He looked at Jack with squinted eyes, watching him inspect his injury. Jack huffed and picked the boy up, only to place him back into the wheelchair. This time he was a bit rougher, still not rough enough to hurt but enough to let Rhys know that he was annoyed. Maybe people got it all wrong. Maybe Jack wasn’t the monster they all thought he was. Maybe he was a nice person. That’s the only explanation that was left. People tend to exaggerate stories, right?

“Are you always this nice to everyone?” Rhys clamped his robotic hand over his mouth. Fuck. He wasn’t supposed to say that out loud. Jack only snorted. The action made Rhys slightly glare at the man. Why wasn’t he taking him serious?

“No need to pout, princess. Although it’s a very, _very_ good look on you. And to answer your question. No, I’m not. Most of the code monkeys around here don’t even deserve the slightest sign of friendliness from me. You however. I like you. You don’t seem stupid. Well you don’t look stupid when you’re in the right mind.” Jack softly said. Rhys nodded at the new information, his eyes slowly slipping shut due to a sudden wave of exhaustion. Oh. So that’s why. …. OW! SO THAT’S WHY? His eyes snapped open as he jolted. Jack likes him? Specifically him? Why? What did he do to attract the attention of Jack? He unconsciously let out a very quiet distressed whine as he shivered. He frantically looked around when he noticed a pinging sound. Did they already take the elevator? Jack wheeled Rhys into the luxurious but cosy looking apartment. He was expecting it to look like touching wouldn’t be allowed in here but it was surprisingly homey. Rhys hummed as he decided that this was far better than his expectations. He was glad that it wasn’t some sort of clean minimalist apartment which would cost more than his entire family’s bank accounts combined. A part of his uneasiness seemed to melt away at the discovery. It still looked as if he would never be able to afford even one night in an apartment like this, but at least now he could look at things without being afraid his gaze would break something expensive.

“I’ll give you a proper tour when you’re feeling a bit better. For now I think you just need a little rest. A wheelchair isn’t the cosiest thing to sleep in even though you were managing fine in that elevator.” Jack said as he closed the front door/elevator. Without even waiting for the slightest hint of a reply, Jack started pushing his wheelchair forward again. This time he was wheeled into a bedroom. A very large bed was in the centre of the room. Several velvety cushions lay scattered around on the bed, carelessly thrown on. Jack immediately started rearranging them, almost as if he was embarrassed about the ‘mess’.

“C’mon cupcake. We haven’t got all day.” Jack said as he gestured to the bed. Rhys sighed and placed his feet on the ground, shakily inhaling and exhaling a couple of times. Now that he wasn’t focussing on everything that was going on, he was feeling so clammy and hot all of a sudden. He finally stood up, ignoring the way Jack was ready to catch him if he fell. Slowly he made his way over the bed, gripping whatever he could get hold of to steady him. After a step of two he stumbled, Jack wasted no time and grabbed his arm to keep Rhys upright. Jack probably acted on instinct, not really thinking about the action since he grabbed the arm with the injured shoulder. The rough pulling action send white hot pain throughout his entire arm and chest. An agonizing scream tore its way past Rhys’s lips as he was pulled to his feet. Rhys however couldn’t seem to get his feet under him due to focussing entirely on the pain.

Jack immediately let go at the cry of pain, wincing when Rhys completely fell onto the floor. He started rushing out apologies, hoping that the boy would understand that he didn’t mean to hurt him. Jack tried to check the injury again like he did a twenty minutes ago but the boy wouldn’t let him. Rhys kept pushing against his hands, the pushing was quite weak, not really enough to stop anyone. But Jack didn’t want to do anything when the boy was obviously refusing to be touched. He did however rub soothing circles on the boy’s back when he heard the soft sobs, hoping that he would calm down.

“Cupcake? Talk to me?” Jack asked. The boy just hiccupped as he shook his head with gritted teeth. Jack cursed as he felt guilt flare up. Yes this was his fault. He shot him. He grabbed him. He hurt him. This whole thing was on him.

“G-Give me a minute.” Rhys gritted out through clenched teeth. His shoulder was throbbing with such a severe intensity that he wished he would just blackout. Why couldn’t the universe be kind for once and spare him this pain. He stayed on the ground for a good thirty minutes (or five years. Who knows? It feels like a life time) before he finally feels as if he can move without screaming again. The throbbing is still there but it lessened enough to try to ignore it. He moves to push himself up but stops when he realises that might not be the best idea. His shoulder probably can’t withstand more ‘abuse’. Rhys felt so drained after this whole ordeal, he wasn’t sure if he could get up even if he could push himself up. He whined when he realised that he had to _ask_ Jack for help. He was almost sure that the man would love to help him. But he didn’t enjoy being this.. helpless. Maybe the floor would be comfortable enough, but he was sure that Jack would wait until he got up.

“Can.. Can you maybe help me? I don’t think I can get up…” Rhys softly said, he kept his gaze fixed on the floor as he felt his cheeks warm up. Jack just patted his back and chuckled.

“You want me to carry you, Rhysie? Awwww Why didn’t you just say so?” The joking, belittling tone in Jack’s voice made Rhys regret ever speaking up. He glared at the man who just ruffled his hair before trying to pick the boy up.

“No. Nevermind. I can do it.” Rhys said, his voice full with the determination and just a hint of stubbornness. He wasn’t going to be belittled by a man he barely knew. Fuck that. Even if the man was the most feared guy on Helios. He obviously had a soft spot for Rhys (For some weird, unexplainable reason.). Rhys felt a bit braver keeping that in mind. He groaned as he pushed himself up, almost dropping back to the floor immediately. The struggle went on for a few minutes in which he managed to get up in a sitting position. He panted as he took a short break from his task.

“Rhys… Let me help.” Jack worriedly gnawed on his bottom lip. He was a bit dumbfounded when Rhys seemed to suddenly change his mind about needing any help. Currently the boy looked as if he was going to pass out in a minute. Rhys’s hair clung to his skin, sweaty and clammy. His skin flushed red due to the struggle or the fever, possibly both. Little pants left his mouth as his eyes slipped shut. A low defeated groan escaped his lips. Jack waited a bit before asking anything, he figured the boy would need a break before trying to get up again. After a minute of no other sounds than Rhys’s soft breathing, he came to a conclusion. The boy fell asleep. Carefully, very aware that too much movement could awake the sleeping man, he scooped him up into his arms and moved him into the bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes. The story is progressing very slow. But it's gonna be wooorth it. .... Or at least I hope so. I like building stories very slow before having it all come crashing down... Ohhh did I... Did I just tell you something bad may happen in the future? I think I did. Ohohohoh. It might be a lil bad. It might be super bad. Who knows? Well me obviously :P


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